1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an assembly for distributing fertilizer, as well as a large variety of other particulate materials, which is adaptable to be mounted on different types of ground or water traveling vehicles. The distribution assembly is structured to regulate the entrainment of the particulate material into a forced air flow which serves to distribute the material throughout significantly large and/or hard to reach areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air blower assemblies are well known and have been used for a variety of applications for many years. Typically, such devices are relatively light weight and as such are portable, being typically hand held or otherwise supported on a users body. In operation, such devices include an impeller which draws air into a housing and out through a housing outlet commonly associated with an elongated nozzle or like flow directing structure. The air is expelled at a significantly high flow rate in order to create an air stream having sufficient force to remove leaves, dirt and a variety of other types of debris from driveways, walkways and other surface areas.
The extensive use of known blower assemblies has led to their adaptation for numerous applications, other than that described above. More specifically, attempts have been made to structurally modify conventional blower assemblies for use either in a vacuum mode or in a forced air discharge mode, respectively intended to either collect or disperse debris and like materials. In addition to the above, blower devices have been found to be particularly useful, when structurally modified in the proper manner, to aid in the distribution of various types of materials. Appropriately modified blowers intended for this use serve to supplement manual seed and/or fertilizer spreaders commonly employed to plant and maintain lawns, grass turf or the like. Therefore, it is generally recognized that the high velocity air stream generated by the typical blower assembly provides a versatile and efficient means of distributing materials to and/or throughout a wide variety of areas, not capable of being serviced by more conventional spreaders.
While such prior art attempts may be considered to be at least minimally operative in accomplishing their intended purpose, devices of this type lack versatility and have been found to be less than efficient. Other disadvantages associated with spreaders incorporating a forced air flow is an inability to adequately regulate delivery of the intended material due at least in part to an inconsistent feeding control of material to the generated air stream. This type of ineffective performance results in an uneven or otherwise inefficient distribution of materials to and/or throughout the area being serviced.
In addition, it has been found that attempted modifications to incorporate a blower commonly require the use of relatively short discharge nozzles, which limits the range or area throughout which the particulate material may be effectively spread. As a result, areas which are more difficult to reach must be serviced by personnel manually carrying a blower/spreader. However, due to the high rate of material discharge, a large quantity of material can be discharged in a short period of time. Therefore unless an operator can carry a significantly large quantity of the material being dispersed, the operator must repeatedly return to a supply area for replenishment of the material in order to properly service terrain which is not easily accessible. Accordingly, it is obvious that at least some body supported assemblies, while being capable of reaching isolated areas, are not consistently operative for a long period of time and are therefore not practical.
Based on the above, there is a significant need for an assembly capable of effectively distributing particulate material having a wide range of particulate sizes, wherein such an improved distribution assembly would maintain efficient control of the supply flow of material to a generated air stream and thereby distribute the particulate material consistently throughout an area targeted for treatment. Further, such a preferred or improved distribution assembly should include operative and structural components which allow the dispersal area to be greatly increased over that possible when using conventional spreaders. Also, a preferred distribution assembly of the type set forth herein should have the structural and operational versatility to be used in combination with a variety of different vehicles or like mobile platforms in order to spread various materials over different ground surfaces and/or throughout a water environment. Further, such an improved distribution assembly should be easily converted, without structural modification, for use as a blower, in the conventional fashion, or for use as a spreader as described above. Finally, when utilized with a mobile platform, the improved distribution assembly of the type set forth herein should be easily mounted on and removed from the platform in order that the mobile platform can be used in the performance of other applications for which it may have been originally designed.